IllustrationVEHICLE HAS HAD ENGINE (OIL) LEAKS SINCE APPROXIMATELY 60000 MILES. NOW VEHICLE HAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET AND OIL IS LEAKING INTO OTHER ENGINE COMPARTMENTS CREATING A FIRE HAZARD. *AK
1997 Plymouth Neon
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Plymouth Neon do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 151.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Neon years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 22 of 161 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 103 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
19 crash reports2 fire reports15 injury reports
What owners actually said
161 reportsHEAD GASKET ALREADY REPLACED LESS THAN 40,000 MILES AGO...
CONSUMER HAS A BRAKE PROBLEM. WHEN APPLYING BRAKES THERE IS NOISE. ALSO, ENGINE HEAD GASKET HAD AN OIL LEAK, AND SHE TOOK IT TO THE GARAGE. THEN, SHE TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO DEALERSHIP. MECHANIC REPLACED HEAD GASKET. BRAKE DRUM WAS PITTED, AND MECHANIC TOLD HER THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG. FINALLY, PASSENGER'S AIRBAG PANEL …
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CONSUMER HAS A BRAKE PROBLEM. WHEN APPLYING BRAKES THERE IS NOISE. ALSO, ENGINE HEAD GASKET HAD AN OIL LEAK, AND SHE TOOK IT TO THE GARAGE. THEN, SHE TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO DEALERSHIP. MECHANIC REPLACED HEAD GASKET. BRAKE DRUM WAS PITTED, AND MECHANIC TOLD HER THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG. FINALLY, PASSENGER'S AIRBAG PANEL WAS BULGING ON THE DASHBOARD. THERE WERE NO LIGHTS ON THE AIRBAG MODULAR. *AK
ENGINE'S HEAD GASKETS DEVELOPED AN OIL LEAK. THIS CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SEIZE UP. ENGINE CHECK LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP & MECHANIC INDICATED ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *AK
HEAD GASKET BLEW AT 60,000 MILES. WE HAVE SINCE LEARNED THIS OCCURS AT A PHENOMINAL RATE FOR ALL '95-'97 NEONS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE OVERHEATED, AND SMOKE CAME FROM ENGINE. THEN, AFTER TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALER, THEY EXPLAINED THAT PROBLEM WAS A BLOWN ENGINE HEAD GASKET.*AK
ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON AT 38,000 MILES. ALL THE FLUIDS ARE FULL AND THE CAR RUNS FINE. IS THIS AN AUTOMATIC THING THAT COMES ON AT 38,000 TO GET THE CAR CHECKED OR IS IT REALY A PROBLEM?*AK
HEAD GASKET - 20,000 MILES - 2ND HEAD GASKET & HEAD AT 27,800 MILES - 3RD HEAD GASKET AT 47,000 MILES. *AK
ENGINE HEAD GASKET HAS BEEN GOING OUT SINCE 1/00, AND NOW SEVERE OIL LEAKS , IVE PUT IN 5 QUARTS OF OIL IN THE LAST 3 DAYS! (THIS SEEMS TO BE A REOCCURRING PROBLEM IN NEARLY ALL 97 NEONS AS, IN MY OPINION, THE MANUFACTURER ADMITS THROUGH AT LEAST TWO SERVICE BULLETINS) MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON FREQUENTLY AND MY OIL LIGHT N…
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ENGINE HEAD GASKET HAS BEEN GOING OUT SINCE 1/00, AND NOW SEVERE OIL LEAKS , IVE PUT IN 5 QUARTS OF OIL IN THE LAST 3 DAYS! (THIS SEEMS TO BE A REOCCURRING PROBLEM IN NEARLY ALL 97 NEONS AS, IN MY OPINION, THE MANUFACTURER ADMITS THROUGH AT LEAST TWO SERVICE BULLETINS) MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON FREQUENTLY AND MY OIL LIGHT NEVER GOES OFF REGARDLESS OF OIL LEVEL IN ENGINE. I FEEL THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS HEAD GASKET REPAIR AND STRONGLT URGE YOU TO FORCE THEM INTO A RECALL SINCE THEY OBVIOUSLY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT REFUSE TO FIX THIER MISTAKES. ALSO MY TURN SIGNALS DO NOT TURN OFF AFTER COMPLETION OF A TURN THIS HAS OCCURRED SINCE ODOMETER READING OF 30,000. INTERIOR DOOR PANEL, PASSENGER SIDE, KEEPS COMING LOOSE FROM THE FRAME, THE DEALER HAS REPAIRED THIS TWICE BUT IT IS LOOSE YET AGAIN. MY INTERIOR ROOF LIGHT HAS NOT WORKED SINCE FIRST TIME DOOR PANEL CAME LOOSE. AND LASTLY, IT FREQUENTLY HAPPENS THAT WHEN MY PASSENGER TRYS TO EXIT THE VEHICE THEY RECEIVE A PAINFUL ELECTRIC SHOCK UPON TOUCHING THE DOOR HANDLE OR PANEL. I SINCERELY HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME WITH AT LEAST THE HEAD GASKET DEFAULT ON MY VEHICLE AND ONCE AGAIN I WOULD LIKE TO URGE YOU TO FORCE THE MANUFACTURER TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS COMMON PROBLEM!*AK
REPORTED PROBLEM WITH LEAKING OIL WITH 20,000 MILES. DEALER TOLD ME THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. REPORTED THE PROBLEM AT 45,000 MILES AND THEN I WAS TOLD IT WAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. I HAVE REPLACED THE HEAD GASKET 3 OTHER TIMES SINCE THIS. *AK
Official recalls
197V080000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
May 16, 1997
THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT DESIGN ALLOWS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT UPON VEHICLE IGNITION SHUT DOWN.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: UNEXPECTED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED MODULE.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE02082 · Safety Belt Cinching Latch Plate
Opened Nov 6, 2002 · Closed Apr 23, 2003
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts
THERE ARE NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ALLEGED DEFECT.WHILE CONDUCTING THIS INVESTIGATION, ODI FOUND THAT THE SUBJECT CINCHES MEET THE LOAD BEARING REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD 208, AND THAT MANY OF THE REPORTED FAILURES WERE DUE TO INCORRECT CHILD SAFETY SEAT INSTALLATIONS. ADDITIONALLY, THE REPORT RATE IS LOW (1.60/100K).THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE FAILS TO ESTABLISH THE EXISTENCE OF A DEFECT TREND AT THIS TIME.FURTHER ALLOCATION OF AGENCY RESOURCES TO THIS ISSUE IS UNWARRANTED AND THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION IS BEING CLOSED.